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Marten I
Martin Felipe Alexander van Draak (2 May 1665 - 8 May 1744) was a King of Brunant. Biography Early life Marten I was born to Karl Van Draak and Isabella of Parma; he was the second of five children and the eldest son. He was named after his father, whose middle name was Martin and his godfather, Felipe IV of Spain. The young prince was raised in Brunant and frequently visited Spain, thus having Spanish as a maternal language though informally speaking Dutch. The prince officially served in the military though he was an incapable tactician and preferred hunting instead. Reign Martin came to the throne in March of 1709 upon the death of his father. He would largely continue the policies of his father and led Brunant into what is considered a golden age in wealth and the arts. In the early years of his reign Martin was heavily involved in the affairs of the state, spending lavishly towards the arts and entertainment and neglecting others. The Spanish War of Succession and the conflicts in Europe raging on during by 1710 forced the King to shift his priorities to the defense of the nation. Gone were the liberal ministers favored by his father and in 1711 the conservative statesman Antonio van Biancator (later count) was appointed Chief Minister, who embarked on a policy of shifting expenditures towards the military and the defense of the nation. One of Martin's notable acts to abolish the further appointment of hereditary nobles in 1710, though was unable to completely remove the influence of the nobility from government. With the War of the Spanish Succession ending Brunant's relations with France became more strained and with the outbreak of the War of the Quadruple Alliance, Brunant was pressured to side itself with Spain. While Biancator was heavily opposed to this the king was confident that Brunant needed to actively oppose France, a view shared by his Liberal ministers. Brunant's naval defeat in October 1719 at the hands of the French in Spain led Biancator to take control of government and further remove the king's influence from military affairs. With Biancator's resignation in 1725 (due to age), the king appointed Sebastian Bongard to the position of chief minister, who largely continued the same policies of his predecessor, though spending significantly more. Bongard was removed from power at the behest of pro-Spanish politicians in 1739 on supposed charges of corruption and the king appointed the pro-Spanish Julian Gonia, who steered Brunant towards supporting Spain once more. During the War of the Austrian Succession Brunant passively assisted France and Spain, which proved unpopular with the general populace. The king died in 1744 and was succeeded by his son, Pieter. Marriage and children In 1685 he was married to Alexandra of Brandenburg (1665-1697) in Grijzestad at Grijzestad Cathedral. The marriage had been arranged some years before, given that the lady was considered to be quite beautiful. The couple had five children: *Justina Maria (1687-1721), unmarried *Felix Alexander (1689-1692) *Felipe Martin (1691) *Diana Sofia (1693-1694) *Isabella Luisa (1697-1786), unmarried Alexandra was often very ill after giving birth, and in 1697 she died after prolonged sicknesses. His advisors, seeking to secure the lineage with a male heir, arranged a marriage with the sister of the newly-proclaimed Spanish King Felipe V, Louise (1681-1705). Despite Brunant's general animosity towards France, the war breaking out in Europe saw Spain siding with France, and Brunant's support for Spain saw them wish to conciliate this. The couple would have two children: *Pieter Hans Johan (1701-1787) *Catherine Luisa (1704-1778) Despite producing a male heir, Louise was isolated in court due to her being French, a sickly woman and generally unfashionable. She had a strained relations with Martin and refused to be with him after the birth of their second child. She died in 1705. Martin was quick to remarry on 14 May 1707, this time to Lady Martine van Neyt (1693-1733). With Martine, he had four children: *Louisa Alexandra (1712-1733) *Sofia (1713-1716) *Martin Philip (1715-1721) *Bertha (1717-1728) Ancestry The majority of his ancestors were of Spanish and Italian origin Category:Dead people Category:1665 births Category:Monarchs Category:Princes Category:Dukes of Middleton